Kadar
Archaeological Discoveries and the Media
The National Geographic announcement on its website last week of the supposed discovery in eastern Honduras of a mythical “lost city” received worldwide publicity. The announcement caught the attention of scholars who decided to debunk the claims of “discovery” and “lost civilization.” The media appeared, to the scholars, to sensationalize the facts, a tendency which […]
The Kadar Preserve their Forests
In December 2006 the government of India passed landmark legislation that recognized the rights of traditional societies to continue to subsist in the forests. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, usually referred to simply as the Forest Rights Act of 2006, came into effect on January 1, 2008. […]
Gathering Non-Timber Forest Products [journal article review]
While involvement by the Kadar in wildlife and forest management has been well publicized, a recent journal article gives details about the value of the forest products they gather. The article, published online by Jyotsna Krishnakumar and four of her colleagues, discusses the need for better management of the non-timber forest products (NTFPs) gathered by […]
Kadar Boycott National Elections
While national elections in India made headlines worldwide in recent weeks, a Kadar hamlet decided to boycott the polls in Kerala to make their own statement. An article in The Hindu explained their reasoning. The various candidates for office in the state have not clarified their positions on the controversial 163 megawatt hydropower project on […]
A Tropical Downpour Is a Good Omen
Prince Charles vacationed in India’s Kerala state last week, and on Tuesday he drove into the mountains to visit waterfalls on the Chalakudy River and the nearby Vazhachal Forest. He showed a lot of interest in the research being carried on in that forest, where he met some Kadar employees who help monitor wildlife conditions. […]
Avoiding Conflicts in South Asia [anthology chapter review]
The four peaceful South Indian foraging societies included in this website have similar beliefs that tend to inhibit conflicts, and they have comparable techniques for resolving them when they do occur. Out of the 18 distinct foraging societies in South India, six have been extensively studied by anthropologists, and four—the Malapandaram, Paliyans, Kadar, and Yanadi—are […]
Kadar Help Protect Tigers
The Kadar workers in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve were singled out last week as one of the key reasons for the nature sanctuary’s recognition as one of India’s best protected natural areas. The reserve, located in the mountains of eastern Kerala state in southern India, has been accorded top honors along with other internationally-known treasures […]
Kerala Government Takes Interest in the Kadar
A minister from the government of Kerala, in India, visited a couple Kadar colonies in her state last week and promised to allot lands to the people. P.K. Jayalakshmi, Minister for Welfare of Backward Communities, visited the Vachumaram and Pukalappara colonies near Athirappilly to announce that she had started formal procedures which would give the […]
The Kadar and their Forests
The work of numerous Kadar in helping ornithological research on South Asian hornbills has inspired them to formally request greater involvement in the overall management of forest resources in Kerala. The Indian Forest Service appears to be favorably inclined to support their initiative. The Deccan Chronicle reported last week that eight Kadar communities in the […]
Kadar Involved in Hornbill Research
Research on the hornbills of the Vazhachal Forest in Kerala, reported 15 months ago, has been so successful that the program has recently been expanded, a credit to the Kadar employees who do much of the field work. According to an article in The Hindu last week, the hornbill monitoring program has been extended outside […]
